It is being brought by a Syrian man, backed by human rights groups, whose relatives were killed in the attack.

Russia launched an air campaign in support of Syria’s government in 2015 that helped turn the tide of civil war.

It has repeatedly denied that Russian forces have deliberately targeted hospitals.

The UN’s own investigation into the conflict has documented widespread possible war crimes, including indiscriminate bombing by Russian and Syrian forces.

But so far, apart from a handful of cases in Europe against Syrian asylum seekers alleged to be former members of the Syrian military or its intelligence services, there has been little accountability.

Political analysts and opposition leaders say the decision hints at anger in the region over the move – and the party’s acknowledgement of it.

Relations between Kashmir and Delhi have been tense for decades. An insurgency against Indian rule and military action against it have claimed thousands of lives in the Himalayan region over the past three decades.

The situation worsened in 2019, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government revoked nearly all of Article 370 – a part of the Indian constitution which had given significant autonomy to the region – and divided it into two federally-administered territories of Ladakh, and Jammu and Kashmir.

The government also imposed a strict communication blockade and jailed hundreds of political leaders, including three former chief ministers, for months.

The bill, under debate since mid-April 2024, prompted harsh criticism from Georgia’s bilateral and international partners and led to some of the largest peaceful protests in the country in recent decades. There have been multiple, credible reports of unjustified police use of violence to disperse them. The bill has passed two readings and is scheduled for its final adoption the week of May 13. 

• More than 60 “gay suspects” detained at same-sex wedding in Nigeria

The Big 18 & Human Rights Coalition, an umbrella group of lawyers and activists in Ghana, said at a Tuesday news conference that the bill “criminalizes a person’s identity and strips away fundamental human rights” and urged the president to reject it.

Takyiwaa Manuh, a senior fellow at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development, noted to CBS News that Akufo-Addo has not signed any previous privately sponsored bills into law due to the demands of an article in the country’s constitution that requires scrutiny over potential financial impacts of legislation. 

Manuh said the speaker of the parliament had carried out no such analysis of the new bill as required, and that if it is enacted, she argued that it would place a “heavy burden on the judiciary, the police and other aspects of life.”

“I am sad, disappointed and surprised that our commitment and democratic principles in this country appear to be so shallow,” lamented Manuh. “This bill represents a real danger to our country, and we are looking to the president to uphold the values of our country and constitution.”

Dubai — Saudi Arabia has sentenced to death a government critic who denounced alleged corruption and human rights abuses on social media, his brother and others familiar with the case told AFP on Monday.

The judgement was handed down against Mohammed al-Ghamdi in July by the Specialized Criminal Court, a secretive institution established in 2008 to try terrorism cases that has a history of unfair trials resulting in death sentences.

The charges against al-Ghamdi include conspiracy against the Saudi leadership, undermining state institutions and supporting terrorist ideology, sources briefed on the details of the case told AFP.

• Saudi Arabia frees U.S. man jailed for insulting crown prince

Saudi officials did not respond to AFP’s request for comment.

Human rights activists said the case highlights an intense crackdown on criticism published on social media, even via accounts that have few followers.

Saeed al-Ghamdi, Mohammed’s brother and an activist living in exile outside Saudi Arabia, said the case against Mohammed was at least partly built on posts on X, formerly Twitter, criticizing the government and expressing support for “prisoners of conscience” such as the jailed religious clerics Salman al-Awda and Awad al-Qarni.

Mohammed al-Ghamdi’s account on X had only nine followers, according to the Gulf Centre for Human Rights.

“Saudi courts are escalating their repression and unveiling publicly their empty promises of reform,” said Lina al-Hathloul, head of monitoring and communication for the rights group ALQST. “How can the world believe the country is reforming when a citizen is going to have his head cut off over tweets on an anonymous account with less than 10 followers?”

• Saudi border guards accused of killing hundreds of migrants

The organizations are concerned that a free trade agreement could exacerbate a dire human rights situation in Ecuador. They shared their concerns and recommendations in testimony to a study by Parliament’s Standing Committee on International Trade.

Canada has been clear that a goal of the negotiations is to promote more Canadian mining investment in Ecuador through a “modern, ambitious and inclusive trade agreement.” Yet community organizations and Indigenous peoples in Ecuador who will be impacted have not been consulted.

Human rights and Indigenous organizations in the South American country are sounding the alarm about human rights violations linked to existing Canadian projects.